Meanings
present singular third person breaks someone's heart · participle present breaking someone's heart · past broke someone's heart · participle past broken someone's heart
- idiomaticTo cause a person to feel grief, disappointment, or sadness.
If you break her heart, I'll break your legs.
2003 February 7, Alfred Gough, Miles Millar, directed by David Dobkin, Shanghai Knights, spoken by Chon Wang (Jackie Chan)3 more examples
Don't go breaking my heart / I couldn't if I tried / Honey if I get restless / Baby you're not that kind
1976, Elton John, “Don't Go Breaking My Heart”, performed by Elton John ft. Kiki Dee"We're just friends," what are you sayin'? / Said "there's another," and looked right in my eyes / My first love broke my heart for the first time
2010, “Baby”, performed by Justin Bieber ft. LudacrisOh no, I was doin' better alone / But when you said "Hello" / I know that was the end of it all / I should've stayed at home / 'Cause now there ain't no letting you go / Am I falling in love / With the one that could break my heart?
2020, Dua Lipa; Ali Tamposi; Stefan Johnson, Jordan K. Johnson; Andrew Watt; Andrew Farriss; Michael Hutchence, “Break My Heart”, in Future Nostalgia, performed by Dua Lipa
Origin
- Middle Englishbreke
- Englishbreak someone's heart
From Middle English breke (my) harte.
More words from Middle English
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic فطر القلب, فطر الفؤاد
- فطر القلبto cause a person to feel grief or sadness
- فطر الفؤادto cause a person to feel grief or sadness
Chinese Mandarin 打碎...的心
- 打碎...的心 (dǎsuì... de xīn)to cause a person to feel grief or sadness
Czech zlomit srdce
- zlomit srdceto cause a person to feel grief or sadness
Dutch (iemand zijn/haar) hart breken
- (iemand zijn/haar) hart brekento cause a person to feel grief or sadness
Finnish särkeä jonkun sydän
- särkeä jonkun sydänto cause a person to feel grief or sadness
French briser le cœur (à)
- briser le cœur (à)to cause a person to feel grief or sadness
German (jemandes) Herz brechen
- (jemandes) Herz brechento cause a person to feel grief or sadness
Hindi दिल तोड़ना
- दिल तोड़ना (dil toṛnā)to cause a person to feel grief or sadness
Italian accorare, spezzare il cuore
- accorareto cause a person to feel grief or sadness
- spezzare il cuoreto cause a person to feel grief or sadness
Japanese 心を壊す
- 心を壊す (kokoro o kowasu)to cause a person to feel grief or sadness
Korean 마음을 아프게 하다
- 마음을 아프게 하다 (ma'eum-eul apeuge hada)to cause a person to feel grief or sadness
Polish łamać serce, złamać serce
- łamać serceto cause a person to feel grief or sadness
- złamać serceto cause a person to feel grief or sadness
Portuguese partir o coração de
- partir o coração deto cause a person to feel grief or sadness
Russian разбива́ть се́рдце
- разбива́ть се́рдце (razbivátʹ sérdce)to cause a person to feel grief or sadness
Spanish partirle a alguien el corazón, partir el alma
- partirle a alguien el corazónto cause a person to feel grief or sadness
- partir el almato cause a person to feel grief or sadness
Swedish krossa någons hjärta
- krossa någons hjärtato cause a person to feel grief or sadness
Turkish kalbini kırmak
- kalbini kırmakto cause a person to feel grief or sadness
Vietnamese làm tan nát trái tim..., làm...đau khổ
- làm tan nát trái tim...to cause a person to feel grief or sadness
- làm...đau khổto cause a person to feel grief or sadness
Cite this entry
break someone's heart. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/break%20someone's%20heart
“break someone's heart.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/break%20someone's%20heart. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “break someone's heart,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/break%20someone's%20heart.
Source: break someone's heart on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.